A 22-year-old Japanese man was shot dead in the Colombian city of Medellin this weekend, local media reported.
The reports said Ryo Izaki was chasing a pair of suspects who had allegedly taken his mobile phone and tablet computer when he was shot twice at around 4 p.m. Saturday
Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo confirmed Monday that Izaki was a student there. He was on temporary leave from the university to travel in developing countries and had expected to return in April, it said.
The Japanese Embassy in Colombia sought to contact Izaki's family while collecting more information.
Izaki, of Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, reportedly arrived in Medellin on Saturday, staying at a hotel in the city. He went outside to buy groceries, according to the hotel.
Medellin was once known as one of the most violent cities in the world, when it was home of the now-defunct Medellin Cartel network of drug suppliers and smugglers.
Izaki had hoped to study international development assistance, the university said.
"It is extremely regrettable to have lost a promising student," it said in a statement.